Air Show

On Saturday Afternoon, we went to go to the air show at Hill Air Force Base. Kaitlyn was extremely excited. She still absolutely loves all kinds of airplanes. When we asked her if she wanted to go to the air show last week, she was thrilled. We haven't heard the end of it, "when is the air show?" "Can we go to the air show now?" Needless to say, the ride there was an adventure.

The kids loved the airplanes. They had several planes open for people to tour. Kaitlyn was thrilled to go inside the plane. Ben like climbing on the chairs and touching the ceiling (with Daddy's help of course). Both the kids liked to look out the windows. After looking at several of the aircraft, we went to find a place to sit and watch the show. Kaitlyn enjoyed watching the planes, but there was one minor problem. Some of the planes were very loud. She kept putting her hands over her ears and was getting mad at the noise. Luckily, there was a souvenir booth selling ear muffs. Once armed with her ear muffs, she was free to completely enjoy the show. I will have to agree with Kaitlyn that at times the planes were very loud, I too covered my ears several times.

The best part of the show were the wonderful Thunderbirds. They are amazing and did a spectacular job. In this first clip, four of the Thunderbirds were flying up to do a star move, well what the audience didn't know was that another Thunderbird was coming from behind to complete the star. It scared all the people who were busy watching the four Thunderbirds, including me and Brandon. The second clip is another cool stunt.

They did some great stunts and we really enjoyed it. It was so much fun, that while we were walking to our truck, Kaitlyn fell asleep in the wagon. Ben took a nap while the Thunderbirds were performing. I was amazed that slept through the noise. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon and we will definitely go again in the future.

Random updates

It is a sad day when your baby is no longer a baby. Ben is the most active little boy. He loves to run and climb. Despite what mom does to stop him, he climbs everywhere. Recently, I found him sitting in our bathroom sink. He has also started to get out of his crib. On Wednesday, I laid Ben down for a nap and went downstairs with Kaitlyn. I came upstairs later and found Ben playing in his room. Somehow, he escaped the crib and got a bloody nose and a bruise on his head in the process. Luckily, he did not seriously hurt himself. Brandon and I were hoping to wait until he was at least eighteen months old to move him into a toddler bed. I guess Ben has other plans. So that night I changed his crib into a toddler bed. Now, we get the fun adventure of teaching him to stay in bed. The last two nights he has gone to bed okay, but wakes up around 3am. Naps are another story, he prefers to sleep on the floor instead of his bed. Oh well, he will eventually learn to sleep in the toddler bed. We just have to be patient.

We had a fun Memorial Day. On Sunday night, we went to visit the graves of family members. We put some flowers from our house on Brandon's dads grave. We want the kids to know who their Grandpa Arnold was. Kaitlyn asked a lot of questions and was very curious about all the flags around the cemetery. I enjoyed teaching her about the flag and what it means to me to live in the United States. I want my kids to know how blessed we are to live in the US. After visiting one cemetery, we went to the cemetery where Brandon's moms family members are buried. We took some pictures of the graves, and saw a sign that the Vietnam Memorial Wall was at the cemetery for the weekend. We took the opportunity to go see it. The kids loved the tanks and being able to climb inside them. There was a very humbling and peaceful feeling around the wall. It was amazing to see all the names on the wall. It really humbled me to be there.

On Monday, we were going to go boating, but Brandon could not get it fixed. One thing after another kept breaking. So instead, we spent the day having fun. We went to the mall and played in the park. It was a good weekend.

We have also gone to the Ogden Dinosaur Park several times in the last couple weeks. The kids love playing at the park there. We usually go with friends, so Kaitlyn has someone to play with. She is constantly asking me of we can call her friends and go back to the dinosaur park. It was tons of fun.

Here is a cute random picture. I love a princess that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I was vacuuming the kids bedroom and Kaitlyn insisted on helping me. She at least took off the princess shoes. I love this cute little girl. Ben even tried to help with the cleaning.

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful mothers day. On Saturday night, Brandon took me to see X-Men Origins- Wolverine. Brandon's mom Ann watched the kids for us. It has been a long time since we went out in a date or to a movie. It was nice to spend time with my husband without the kids. The movie was pretty good and I enjoyed it. (I think Hugh Jackman is gorgeous so any movie with him is alright in my book.)
On Sunday, before church, I relaxed while Brandon got Kaitlyn and Ben ready for church. At church, I got to teach in Young Women and then teach the Family History class. I think I gave two great lessons. In nursery, Kaitlyn made me a really cute card with flowers on the front. After church, I relaxed some more while Brandon made lunch. I was pretty exhausted from the long week we had just had ( I will explain in another post). I took a nap and snuggled Kaitlyn while we watched a movie. It was a nice relaxing day.

I love Mother's Day and the chance to think about the great blessings that we receive from our mothers. I will try to write some of my feelings about the amazing mothers in my life.

When I heard the word mother, the first person that comes to mind is my wonderful mother Jody. She embodies everything that a mother should be. She is selfless in her love and care for her family. She dropped everything to spend a night in the hospital with me after I had surgery. She got to the hospital to be there with me as my husband was taken to surgey and then helped to care for my children while I spent time at the hospital with him. I know that whenever I call her with a problem she will be there in hurry to help in any way possible. She is constantly taking family members to the doctors and looking after their medical needs. I know she adores all her grandcildren and her grandkids adore her. Kaitlyn pretends to talk to her on the phone all the time. My mother has taught me many lessons on how to be a great mother. I hope I can be as amazing as her.

The next great mother I think of is my wonderful mother-in-law Ann. She was blessed with all boys. She has truly welcomed me into her family and her heart. She treats me like I am her daughter. She also has been there for me during some very difficult times. She watched Kaitlyn for us while I was at the hospital for my surgery and while I was having Ben. She has been there to comfort me and offer me advice during some trials in my life. I love helping her and spending time with her. My kids love her a lot and enjoy hanging out with grandma.

Some of the other great mothers in my life are my sisters. Jessi has taught me how to relax and to not let the little things bother me. She also is an example of patience and understanding. Jayne is a good example of devotion and love. She is raising Alexia to be a kind and generous woman. Jacki, a soon to be mother and I am sure a pretty cool stepmom, is going to be a good mom. She is going to be that fun mom that all the kids want to hang out with. The future mothers, Jeanne and Jasmine are two exceptional women. Jeanne will teach her future children to be stong and faithful people. Jasmine will be great at nurturing and understanding the trials of her future children. I am really blessed to have amazing sisters who teach me how to be a better mother.

I am also blessed to have awesome grandmothers, Norma and Vivian. They are so wise and intelligent. They have taught me a lot over the years. I appreciate the support and kindness they have shown me. I also am thankful that they are always willing to help my family. I have many wonderful aunts and cousins who are examples to me of what a mother should be. I feel lucky to have so many great mothers in my life and now I don't have to space to mention them all.

The last mother I think of is me. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that I am a mother to two beautiful children. I want to be the best mother I can be so I can spend eternity with my family. I want to teach Kaitlyn how to be a great mother and I know I can do that by being a great mother. I am a blessed woman.

Kaitlyn's Birthday

I have a ton to catch up on. So I am going to break it up into a couple posts.
First, my adorable Kaitlyn turned three. She had a wonderful party with her friends and cousins. She played and loved all her presents. She loves telling people that she is a big girl now because she is three.

In honor of her birthday, I would like to list the three cutest thing about Kaitlyn.

1. The way she says "I love you this much," while she stretches her arms a wide as she can. Then, she gives me a big hug and a kiss. She is such an affectionate child.

2. How sweet she is to Ben and how she expresses her love her Ben. She is the sweetest big sister in the universe. She loves to tell me when Ben needs something.

3. Kaitlyn is a great friend. She prayers for her friends every night and is so thankful for them and being able to play with them. She is getting better at sharing her toys. She has the cutest personality.

I love this girl and know she is going to be a beautiful woman and a great mother someday.

Happy Easter

We had a wonderful day yesterday. When Kaitlyn and Ben woke up, we did a little Easter egg hunt with them. They had lots of fun. Kaitlyn did really good finding the eggs that were hidden, and Ben just loved to pick up the eggs and shake them. They both loved eating a little candy before breakfast.

We bought them new outfits for church. Kaitlyn picked her dress out at the store and calls it her princess dress. She also got new Disney princess church shoes. She asked all morning long to put on her new dress. She is the cutest little girl on earth. I love her so much, she has the greatest personality. She was really adorable in her dress. Brandon helped me pick out Ben's outfit. He was so handsome. I love seeing Ben in a nice church suit.

We had fun at church. I got to teach the Young Women lesson. I love being able to teach the girls about Jesus and the Resurrection. It was a great lesson. Brandon volunteered to teach my family history class for me, so I got a little break from that. He did a good job. I had to leave church a little early to finish getting the house ready for our Easter party. Brandon's family came over for lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. The kids had a wonderful time. They loved looking for eggs and I think they all got some good stuff. It was another fun party.

Ben's Birthday

On March 25, Ben turned one. I can't believe a year has already passed. He is getting so big and is as cute as ever. He runs and climbs on everything. We had a great birthday. Kaitlyn, Ben, Sierra, and I spent the day playing. After Brandon got home from work, we had cupcakes and opened presents. Ben loved his cupcake and made a huge mess, but it was well worth it. Then, Ben got to open his presents. He got some big Lego's, some more balls, and a cool sports center. The sports center has a little basketball hoop, a baseball, and a football. Ben loves to play basketball. I think Ben had a good day.

On the Saturday after his birthday, we had a little party with my family and Brandon's parents. It was nice to spend time with family. Ben was a little cranky from getting his shots the day before, but I think he had another fun day. He loved sitting in his highchair and eating ice cream. He also got some more neat toys to play with and some cute summer clothes. It was a fun party and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It is amazing that my baby is one already.

Disney on Ice

On Saturday, Kaitlyn and I got to go to Mickeys and Minnie's Magical Ice Adventure at the Energy Solutions Arena. We were supposed to go with Kaitlyn's friend Sierra and her mom, but sadly Sierra got sick. So, Kaitlyn and I got to have a mother/daughter date. We had a blast. Kaitlyn really likes Mickey right now and was so excited when she saw him come out. She had the cutest expressions on her face.

There were lots of fun Disney characters. They did songs from the Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid. Her all time favorite was Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. When he came out, she got so excited, she jumped out of her seat and started screaming with glee. The Little Mermaid is one of her favorite movies and she loves to sing along with the songs. It was cute to listen to her sing along to Kiss the Girl.

At intermission, we had to buy Kaitlyn a toy. It was a tough decision, but Kaitlyn picked out a fun little Minnie Mouse doll. The entire second half, Minnie sat comfortably on Kaitlyn's lap. Since Saturday, Minnie has also slept on Kaitlyn's bed with her for every nap and bedtime. She has never been this attached to a doll, it is adorable. It was an enjoyable day and nice for Kaitlyn and I to get to spend some quality time together.

After the show, we went out to dinner with my family for my brother Jordan's birthday. It was great to spend some time with my family. Overall, it was a wonderful day.

Red Wagon

Do you remember how much fun it was to play in a wagon as a kid? Well, Brandon and I have wanted to get a wagon for the kids for a while now. A couple weeks ago, when Brandon was delivering to Harbor Freight, he saw they had the kind we wanted on sale. Of course he had to buy one right away. He had me come pick it up and take it home. With some help from Kaitlyn and Ben, and a little assistance from Brandon, I put the wagon together. We took the kids for a walk in it that night. They LOVED it. Ben loves having the freedom to move around and Kaitlyn likes the space. We have had several wonderful walks with our new wagon. The only bad part of the wagon is that it goes way to fast down hills, but I am sure the kids will love that when they get older.



The kids loved the ride so much they crashed on the way home. This has happened on a couple of our walks.